Brittany's Sesame Noodle Salad

This may seriously be THE BEST salad I have ever had.  My awesome neighbor Brittany brought me some one day, and I almost fell off my chair, it was so good.  She is very nice and shared the recipe with me, and then she gave me permission to post it on the blog.  I love you Brittany!

You cook your pasta.

You make your dressing in a jar.

 

You stir everything together, chill for a few hours and then serve it up!  
Brittany says this salad is even better the next day, but I may never know...it's just too good (it IS even better the next day but I rarely have any left).

Add fresh baby spinach when making the salad.  It's even more divine, if that's possible!

SESAME NOODLE SALAD
Dressing:

1/4 c. sesame seeds, toasted

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1/3 c. soy sauce

1/3 c. rice vinegar

1 tsp. sesame oil

3 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. ginger, fresh minced or ground

1/4 tsp. black pepper

In a large jar with a tight fitting lid, combine all of the ingredients.  Seal the jar and shake well until everything is incorporated.  Chill until ready to mix with the salad ingredients.

Salad:

1 (16 oz.) pkg. rotini pasta

3 c. chicken, cooked and cubed

1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 c. chopped green onion

Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente (I like to leave my pasta just slightly less than al dente so that when the salad is ready to serve the noodles are still firm).  Rinse pasta under cold water until cooled.  Drain well.  In a large mixing bowl place the cooked pasta, chicken, cilantro and green onion (add spinach, if using).  Shake the dressing again until well mixed, pour over the pasta and stir very well.  Chill 4-5 hours before serving.

Note:  there will be quite a bit of dressing in the bottom of the bowl, just stir the salad every hour or so during the chilling time and the dressing will be absorbed in.

This is an updated re-post from Feb. 2013.